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Jessica Lange Returns and 10 More Things To Know About American Horror Story: Apocalypse

Ryan Murphy announces that Taissa Farmiga, Gabourey Sidibe, Lily Rabe, Frances Conroy, and Stevie Nicks will also return and that Cody Fern joins the cast. Plus, Sarah Paulson plays three roles, the series will have a 10th season, and more.

2. SARAH PAULSON RETURNS AS TWO CHARACTERS AND PLAYS A THIRD NEW ONE.

Paulson has been in every season of American Horror Story. She confirmed that she would return as both the witch Cordelia from Coven and as television personality Billie Dean Howard from Murder House. She also revealed that she’ll play a third character named Venable, which may be altogether harder than playing conjoined twins Bette and Dot Tattler in Freak Show.

3. TWO AHS ACTORS ARE DIRECTING EPISODES OF APOCALYPSE.

Paulson will direct episode six. Evan Peters will also direct an episode yet to be determined.

“Our schedule’s a little in flux,” Woodall said. “That’s not a mystery. We don’t know exactly which one.”

4. THE APOCALYPSE IS ONLY THE BEGINNING

The title of the season leaves a lot of possibilities open. The season begins with the end of the world, some 18 months from now, and goes from there.

“The story begins with the end of the world, and then our world begins,” Woodall said.

Given the characters of Murder House and Coven are ghosts and witches respectively, all of those characters could linger around after all of humankind is wiped out.

5. IT MAY BE THE BIBLICAL APOCALYPSE

Paulson said, “It’s the apocalypse in the truest sense of the word.”

The original use of “apocalypse” was in the Bible, so if she means the Biblical apocalypse that would mean full rapture and hell on earth.

“It starts in the real world. It’s very tangible,” Woodall said. “What’s the fantasy of what comes next?”

6. BEING THE SUPREME AIN’T ALL IT WAS CRACKED UP TO BE

Cordelia ended up the Supreme at the end of American Horror Story: Coven. Then the apocalypse happens, so she can’t even enjoy her reign.

“She is the Supreme for now,” Paulson said. “At the beginning of our story, that is the title she still holds. I don’t know how long that’s going to last. Enjoyment is not possible at this particular juncture in this story. She’s not running around like her mother snorting cocaine and throwing young witches up against the wall, though she may like to be.”

7. THE NEW CHARACTERS’ NAMES, AND RETURNING ONES CONFIRMED

The AHS cast members who were in neither Coven nor Murder House revealed the names of their new characters for Apocalypse. Leslie Grossman plays Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt. Billie Lourd plays Mallory.

“Just Mallory,” Lourd said.

Adina Porter plays Dinah Stevens. Kathy Bates is playing a new character even though she was in Coven. With Madame Delphine LaLaurie decapitated and gone, Bates will play Ms. Meade.

Roberts returns as Madison Montgomery.

8. MADISON IS MORE MADISON THAN EVER

Madison was an outrageous character in Coven. Death wasn’t enough to keep her down, and she returned even more scheming than before. Roberts said she’s taking Madison to the next level in Apocalypse.

“I was told yesterday by the director to be bitchier,” Roberts said. “It’s delicious to get to play her again for sure.”

9. EVAN PETERS PLAYS A HAIRDRESSER

Peters was not on the panel, but his co-stars confirmed what Murphy revealed at a FYC panel earlier this year: Peters will play a hairdresser.

“He did my hair today,” Paulson joked.

10. DON’T RULE OUT MORE WITCHES

Three of the Coven witches were on the panel, and they confirmed Lange would be playing her Murder House character, not Fiona. That doesn’t rule out the rest of the Coven. Stay tuned.

“[Murphy] invited all the witches to return,” Woodall said. “Whether or not they return is TBD.”

11. THERE’S GOING TO BE A 10TH SEASON

As the cast of American Horror Story: Apocalypse returned to the set to continue filming, FX publicist John Solberg announced that the network has picked up another season of AHS, which will make it a full decade’s worth of Horror from Murphy.